East Lothian Foodbank Service Co-ordinator

This is a fantastic opportunity for a motivated and positive individual to help people using our foodbank to access our emergency food provision. The Service Co-ordinator is at the frontline of our crisis service. As the first point of contact for our service users and referral partners you must be a confident communicator who can work well managing multiple tasks in an extremely busy environment.Duties will include processing requests for emergency food support received via phone, email and online. You will be taking care of day-to-day contacts and building relationships with partners, service users with regards to our crisis service.Key responsibilities:The Service Co-ordinator will:Manage referrals for all food bank parcels from agencies and partners via telephone and emailAct as the main point of contact for service users. Gather any special requests, or information relating to specific needs so volunteers can tailor parcels accordinglySignpost service users to other support services, as appropriatePlan and co-ordinate daily deliveries including organising drivers, notifying service users and scheduling routesCollate all referral paperwork so data can be logged efficiently and in compliance with Trussell guidelinesLiaise with referral agencies to help resolve any issues as they ariseOnboard new referral partnersMaintain and create records on our data collection system relating to referralsCollate articles and issue a regular newsletter for our referral partnersEnsure referral partner contact information and user data is reviewed and updated regularly (usually on a quarterly basis)Bringing to the attention of your line manager any safeguarding concerns regarding the day-to-day referralsUndertake any other duties that may be reasonably expected to fulfil the roleAbout youTo succeed in this role, you must have the following skills and experience:Experience of engaging with and supporting partnership work with other organisationsAbility to work as part of a team and on own initiativeExcellent communication skillsExperience in handling difficult conversationsA willingness to work flexible hoursUnderstanding of confidentiality practices and GDPR guidelinesAbility to work to tight timescales under pressureAbility to multitaskDemonstrable professionalismA positive and proactive team-player actively contributing to a strong and committed staff and volunteer teamDemonstratable empathy, non-judgemental, and committed to always preserving the dignity of clients and in every interactionAs an emergency food service, you may be dealing with people who are often in distress so the ability to deal with people sensitively and with compassion is requiredKey CompetenciesHighly organised and self-motivatedAdaptable and proactiveGood IT skills – including google suite and office packages/excelCommitted to the values and mission of East Lothian FoodbankReporting to: Operations Manager.BenefitsAccredited real Living Wage Employer offering competitive salaryAnnual leave: 32 days including 9 bank holidays (pro rata)Pension: ELFB is a member of the NEST Pension Scheme. The successful candidate would be enrolled within the pension scheme 3 months from the joining date. Further information about Employer Pension obligations can be found at nestpensions.org.uk/schemeweb/nest/aboutnest/pensions-are-changing/auto-enrolment.htmlEmployee assistance programme - the successful candidate will be enrolled into our assistance programme provided by Hospital Saturday Fund on completion of probation. This gives access to a range of employee welfare, mental health and financial support. Including money towards specific private health treatments and access to a range of discounts through Perk Box.Business travel: 45p per mile paid for business travelFinancial contribution to activities that support your health and wellbeing